ample to the United StatesThe Iroquois nations' political union and democratic government has been credited as one of the influences on the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution.
[11][12] However, there is heated debate among historians about the importance of their contribution. Historian Jack Rakove
[13]writes: "The voluminous records we have for the constitutional debates
of the late 1780s contain no significant references to the Iroquois."
Researcher Brian Cook writes: "The Iroquois probably held some sway
over the thinking of the Framers and the development of the U.S.
Constitution and the development of American democracy,
albeit perhaps indirectly or even subconsciously... However, the
opposition is probably also correct. The Iroquois influence is not as
great as [some historians] would like it to be, the framers simply did
not revere or even understand much of Iroquois culture, and their
influences were European or classical - not wholly New World."
[14] However, Cook concedes that much of the heated debate around the influence of Amerindians on the United States Constitution amounts to academic knee-jerk reactions and protectionist turf-wars. Cook
further notes "The National Endowment for the Humanities rejected a
number of research proposals that dealt with the Iroquois influence
theory... [and] Johansen's first book on the Iroquois influence,
Forgotten Fathers, was ordered removed from the shelves of the
bookstore at Independence Hall."
Although their influence is hotly debated, it is a historical fact that several founding fathers had direct contact with the Iroquois, and prominent figures such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin
were closely involved with the Iroquois, their stronger and larger
native neighbor. Whether this was purely politics for protection or
true admiration, perhaps can never be fully determined.
In 2004 the U.S. Government acknowledged the influence of the Iroquois Constitution on the U.S. Framers.
[15] The Smithsonian Institution
also noted the similarities between the two documents, as well as the
differences. One significant difference noted was the inclusion of
women in the Iroquois Constitution, one group among many that the
framers of the U.S. Constitution did not include.
[edit] Member nationsThe first five nations listed below formed the original Five Nations
(listed from west to north); the Tuscarora became the sixth nation in
1720.
English nameIroquoianMeaning17th/18th century location
|
Seneca | Onondowahgah | "People of the Great Hill" | Seneca Lake and Genesee River |
Cayuga | Guyohkohnyoh | "People of the Great Swamp" | Cayuga Lake |
Onondaga | Onöñda'gega' | "People of the Hills" | Onondaga Lake |
Oneida | Onayotekaono | "People of Standing Stone" | Oneida Lake |
Mohawk | Kanien'kehá:ka | "People of the Great Flint" | Mohawk River |
Tuscarora1 | Ska-Ruh-Reh | "Shirt-Wearing People" | From North Carolina² |
1 Not one of the original Five Nations; joined 1720.
2 Settled between Oneidas and Onondagas.
[edit] Modern populationThe total number of Iroquois today is difficult to establish. About 45,000 Iroquois lived in Canada in 1995.
[citation needed]In the 2000 census, 80,822 people in the United States claimed Iroquois
ethnicity, with 45,217 of them claiming only Iroquois background.
However, tribal registrations in the United States in 1995 numbered
about 30,000 in total.